Day Four - The Longest Day Ever

Wednesday, the nemesis of tinkerers everywhere. Our schedule (see earlier post) says that we are sealing the pontoons with wax today, but...

It's this kind of day - we just don't know it yet.

Liora and Serena and Megan and sometimes Lauren (who is still visiting every team that needs help) are starting to work out the details on the mast.

Your Daily Goat.

Portrait of a Tinkerer: Evan needed extra sawdust protection (we all did, there was an unprecedented amount of cutting today).

Portrait of a Collaborator: Nova is one of the best listeners.

Miles takes the lead on the pontoons, also known as "floaty bobbers" (and sticks with it until long after dinner) in order to try and get us back on schedule.

As per our erstwhile habit of repurposing donated paragliders, the sail team carefully dissects a wing to make a sail - an activity that would send any pilot into a conniption fit.

Liora examines the internal organs of the wing and discovers a perfectly good velcro belt.

Megan works to salvage as many of the paraglider's lines as possible.

Jigsawing the oars puts saw operators faces very close to the sawdust spraying out of the tool.

The jigsaw leaves a very sharp and splintery edge, and the oar team (Frannie, Evan, Elizabeth and Lauren) set to work with knives, rasps, and sanding blocks to address the problem.

Evan diligently carved away at every single oar to keep the production line going.

Gabriel puts his Opinel to work.

The first meeting of the sailmakers knitting club gets down to business.

After consulting with the deck team, the bench team realizes that there is a problem with the mounting system they had planned and sets about revising the benches so that they can be easily screwed to the deck.

This is what a good water-tight lacing looks like.

The first stop on the way to the Ranch House for lunch is the hand-washing station - no dirty hands in the kitchen.

We wear the goggles so much, we sometimes forget that we have them on. Megan remembers just lunch is served.

Hands of a Tinkerer: Megan attaches mast rings to the sail. This will be the first non-sticking sail to mast solution ever at Tinkering School.

Hands of a Tinkerer: Lauren (who does everything) is right in there too.

Elijah carefully drills holes for the seam lacing that will keep the pontoons watertight.

Gever had to climb up the barn wall to capture the amazing hive of activity in the pontoon manufacturing plant.

Still hard at work on the pontoons, the unstoppable Miles keeps the production pace brisk.

Every boom ever made at Tinkering School has posed a few problems - this one is no different. Luckily, Liora and Serena of the sail team have a (new) plan.

Young Josh pre-threads the wire laces in so that the pliers team can come along and twist them tight.

Elizabeth seems undaunted by her first finger cut of the day (later she will cut the exact same finger in a door, just on the opposite side of this cut).

Hands of a Tinkerer: Lauren fits the eye bolt into the end of the boom.

Liora loves her big wire ring.

Four fully wax-sealed oars, and the prototype/backup oar.

Your Weekly Flower (thanks Frannie!).

Ben is ready for the trailer ride (no running boards on the van this year) to the big pantry for more dinner supplies.

It is quite possible that there is no other person on the planet that enjoys riding outside of a vehicle as much as Young Josh does (but Lauren would give him a run for his money in that department).

Dinner happened. The list of things still left to do before we can test the boats is longer than we would like, so we head back to the barn for a marathon work session.

Starting with the beautiful and very hydrodynamic pontoon prow.

Miles. With a boat. Again. Undauntable.

There are four half pontoons that will be fastened together to create two whole pontoons. The production teams are cranking them out.

Hard working teams deserve delicious dessert. Tonight we are treated to strawberries and pound cake with "Frannie's Goop" (sour cream mixed with brown sugar).

We started the day at 8:30 in the morning, and the last teams left the barn at 10:30 in the evening. No whining, no cranky-pants, just full steam ahead all day and into the night. This is why we love Tinkering School - it is more fun to work than to sleep.